


how do I walk this earth?

by Eloony



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fairy Tale Style, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Stony Bingo 2017, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-28 12:32:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12606696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eloony/pseuds/Eloony
Summary: In a land without magic, where people denied all that was weird, and the mysterious was quickly conquered by science, there lived a sad man. That land had machines that could fly and liquids that granted healing, but still, there was no magic on the land, and the people of that land praised other people for creating all the things that they used. The sad man was one of those who created things.





	how do I walk this earth?

**Author's Note:**

> for the fairy tale style narration slot on my bingo card

In a land without magic, where people denied all that was weird, and the mysterious was quickly conquered by science, there lived a sad man. That land had machines that could fly and liquids that granted healing, but still, there was no magic on the land, and the people of that land praised other people for creating all the things that they used. The sad man was one of those who created things.

 

He had always been sad, since he could remember, but for all he tried, he couldn’t figure out why. His father, who was not a king, for there were no kings in this land, was very rich and tried to make his son happy by buying him many wondrous things. He buyed diamonds and called them stars, he bought toys and called them magical, he bought friends and pets and everything the land had to offer.  Still, his son was sad, and eventually he grew tired, and stopped trying to cheer him up altogether. 

 

The sad man’s name was Tony. He had friends, and he was very smart, but there was a sadness that covered his eyes no one could get him away from. He didn’t know how to not be sad anymore and he did many a foolish thing to try and not be sad, but to no avail. Everyday he woke up sad and every night he went to bed sad, no matter whom he was sharing it with.

 

One day, Tony, the sad man, saw something he could never begin to explain. He was standing very quiet in his bathroom and there, in the corner of his eye, he saw a ghost. 

 

Now, Tony was a Man of Science™ and thought there was nothing that couldn’t be explained with science,  so he went to a very special room he had in his house, where numbers and letters got together to create many wondrous things, and started trying to explain the ghost. He knew the ghost was tall, and he knew the ghost was icy blue, but he didn’t know much more.

 

No matter how much he tried, it was of no avail, because the ghost always escaped him. He could only see it in the corner of his eye, and never could see it very clearly. And so, years passed, and the man called Tony was still sad, and there was still a ghost in the corner of his eyes. 

 

One day he decided enough was enough, after he had a dream where the ghost spoke to him, and decided to ask for help. 

 

First, he went for his friend Bruce. Bruce was not a sad man, but he was not happy either. He was very calm and very patient and very smart, and together with his wife, Betty, who was even smarter and even more patient, he tried to find Tony’s ghost. They were both scientists, very respected in the land without magic, because they could make liquids that healed people, and Tony’s father hired them once to heal Tony of his sadness. It didn’t work, but they took pity on him and became friends instead. Betty and Bruce did many tests and tried many different things in their special room, but in the end, they couldn’t see the ghost, and they asked Tony if he didn’t need to be examined instead.

 

Upset, Tony left, looking for another friend to help him. He traveled a long journey to find her, and along the way he figured maybe science didn’t have the answer and so, he went to look for his friend Natasha.

 

Natasha was not a sad woman, but she wasn’t happy either. She was very beautiful and very scary and not patient at all. She was a ballerina, very famous in the land without magic because the way she moved her body brought great joy to many people. Once, Tony’s father hoping to bring a smile to his son’s face had hired her to perform for Tony’s birthday. He had remained sad and unmoved, but Natasha, the ballerina, took pity on him and became his friend. When Tony told her of the ghost, she didn’t look skeptic, merely told him to be silent and took him to her own special room. She taught him how to dance and said that art was one way to communicate that even science couldn’t explain and that was what he needed. Tony, the sad man, in tights twirled and twirled and twirled, and he saw the ghost again. The ghost was tall and big and icy blue and his face was even sadder than Tony’s own, but he disappeared as quick as he came.

 

Natasha told him it was futile to try again, but still Tony danced and danced until he grew very tired and even sadder, so he left to look for another friend who could help him. He went looking for Clint.

 

Tony looked in many places before he found Clint, who was in a desert, living with the circus. Clint was not a sad man, but he wasn’t happy either. He was almost always angry and he was always very tired but he could be very patient when he wanted. He was a famous archer in the circus, and he had an act that made the people of the land without magic anxious and excited. Once, Tony’s father had brought him to perform his tricks for Tony, hoping to elicit a response that was not sadness. Tony remained sad, though, and Clint took pity on him and became his friend. Tony told Clint of the ghost, and he expected to be mocked - instead, Clint grew solemn and told him that was a matter for beyond the things found in the land without magic, and took him to see the circus Seer in a special room. Her name was Wanda and she was really young and a bit scary, but Clint promised she was good and so Tony went. He told Wanda, the seer, of the ghost, and she asked him to hold her hands. She did many things - drew cards and told a story, stared at a crystal ball, and lastly simply wrote something down on a piece of paper. Tony, the sad man, then saw the ghost again, but closer this time. He was tall, and big, and icy blue, but now his face wasn’t as sad, it looked amazed. The ghost took two steps forward and almost touched Tony’s face. And then he was gone. Wanda’s face looked terrified and Clint looked angry and for the first time in his life Tony felt hopeful.

 

He insisted Wanda did whatever it was she did again, but she shook her head and retreated into tent. Clint took Tony home and gave him copious amounts of a clear liquid that promised happiness, and although it never worked on Tony, was always worth the try.  

 

After that, Tony wanted to quit. The sad man only felt sadder, and he longed for his comfortable home wherein if he was not happy, he at least was sad on his own, making incredible things out of numbers and words and catching glimpses of his ghost in the corner of his eyes. He would never be happy, but he was hopeful he could see the ghost again, and it was in his special room is his big tower where he most appeared. So, he went home. He said goodbye to Clint, thanked Wanda, and left.

 

In the tallest room of the tallest building, there rested Pepper, who waited for the sad man’s return. Pepper was not a sad woman, but she wasn’t happy either. She was kind and nice and smart as a whip and she had a temper that would easily flare. She commandeered a group of people who created things with words and numbers, and the people of the land without magic greatly admired her for it. Tony’s father left her in charge of taking care of Tony , and she had quit the job long ago, but she was always there for Tony anyway, and he didn’t want to tell her of the ghost, but he did anyway. Pepper at first was skeptic, as Tony knew she would be, but soon, she was making all sorts of questions to try and understand the ghost. The sad man told her all he knew, and then she went away, saying she would try and fix it, and left him alone.

 

Alone with his big tall icy blue ghost that seemed to show up even more frequently on the corner of his eyes. Now, when the sad man was just about to fall asleep, he saw the ghost too, and he started craving rest to see the face more often. Sometimes he took too much of the clear liquid drink that promised happiness but only granted the peaceful blackout that brought forward the frowning disapproving spirit. And although Tony was okay with that, his friends weren’t.

 

And so, his friend Rhodey, tired of waiting for Tony to come looking for him, went to find the sad man in his special room. Rhodey was not sad, and he sometimes was happy, and he was patient and strong and smart. He was a famous soldier that fought many battles and was beloved by the people of the land without magic for it. He had met Tony when they were both learning to create things out of numbers and Tony was so sad, Rhodey became his friend. Tony didn’t want to tell him of the ghost, because although he loved Rhodey, he knew the man was very skeptical of all things unnatural, and would probably want him to be examined. But Rhodey already knew of the ghost, for Pepper told him, because they too were very close friends, and so he got Tony out of his special room, and threw away all the clear liquid drink, and took the sad man to the park, claiming that being outside would be good for him. Rhodey didn’t say anything of the ghost, but as they stopped in front of a lake, Tony saw the ghost in the water. He seemed to be sleeping, there, underneath the surface, and as he reached out with his hands, Rhodey gasped beside him. The ghost was gone, but Rhodey had seen him too.

 

With that, Tony got a new wind. He wanted to understand the ghost, he wanted to talk to it, he wanted to see it closely, and he wanted it now! He went to his special room and worked and laboured over numbers, and Bruce and Betty showed up, and Rhodey helped him too, but even the four of them together weren’t enough to understand the ghost with science. He only popped in once around them, but he left before the scientists could process what was going on.  And then Natasha and Clint and Wanda showed up, and they tried to talk to the ghost through art and dance and music and reading cards, but the ghost only showed up once and tried to touch Natasha’s hand before disappearing. All they were left with were four letters Tony couldn’t stop scribbling: s-e-t-v.  The whole group tried to decipher their meaning, and in the end, Natasha asked if a letter could be repeated and pointed out the obvious word would be Steve.

 

Steve.

 

The sad man, when he heard that name, felt such anguish he thought he would die there and then. His heart broke, and his stomach tightened, and he couldn’t breathe. His friends held him tight, however, and he was able to move on. More determined than ever, he walked around this house, calling for Steve, whom he was sure was his ghost’s name. Tony was despairing, and his friends didn’t know what else they could do to help, but the ghost didn’t show up again. The sad man was now a mad man, as he begged and pleaded with the walls for him to show up again to no avail. 

 

It was Pepper who came with a solution. All of Tony’s friends were sleeping in his special room, thrown in the floor, resting in piles in top of each other, but Tony was just curled within himself, staring at the wall, tired, but not being able to sleep, when Pepper showed up. She looked like a knight in charming armour, barging in with his salvation, poised and composed and beautiful. She ordered everyone to get up, and to get ready for a long journey. Soon, they were all moving up north, to an abandoned mountain no one ever wanted to step foot on. 

 

There, Pepper introduced him to Thor. Thor was sad, sad like Tony was, and he was also lonely. He couldn’t leave the mountain, and so he didn’t have many friends like Tony did. Pepper met Thor’s only friends Jane and Darcy, and they talked about their sad men, and decided they needed to meet. Thor was tall and big and strong, but he wasn’t icy blue and his face was more tired. When he held Tony’s hand his face cleared, and he told Tony to wake up, and not to worry, that it wasn’t going to hurt.

 

And then Tony disappeared from the mountain and found himself in a room of mirrors. None of his friends were there, nor was Thor, but from behind the mirrors he could see them, except they were different that he was used to. Natasha was fighting, instead of dancing, and Clint was laughing, instead of angry, and Bruce seemed so very tired. He could also see Pepper and Rhodey, and Rhodey was flying in a strange machine. And Thor was bigger than he thought possible. But the last mirror, the last mirror had his ghost. He was happy and pink and alive, laughing with two other big strong man, and one of them had a metal arm, and the other man had mechanical wings, and it was the most wonderful thing Tony had ever seen and for a second he was not sad, but in awe. The technology he was seeing was unbelievable, but it was the ghost’s face, Steve’s face, that made him think of angels and rainbows and everything that was good. He was beautiful, breathtaking and  _ alive. _

 

He touched the mirror reverently, content to watch that scene forever, but it was not to be. The ghost - that is, Steve, turned to look at him. It was not a trick of Tony’s mind, Steve directly looked at him and frowned, walking in his direction quickly, leaving his companions behind. When they were practically face to face, Steve threw a punch against his side of the mirror. The glass broke and a deafening noise filled Tony’s head, and then he knew no more. 

 

_____

  
  


“Tony,” Steve cradled his face in his lap.  Even from this angle Steve face looked lovely, Tony thought, and why was he not wearing his armour? “Tony, say something!”

 

“Steve?” he asked instead, confused as if all his memories were conflicting with each other.

 

“Oh, thank Pete,” Steve’s face was taken by relief, “I was starting to think you were not coming back, shellhead.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“Remember Thor’s ex, Amora? She wrecked havoc with everybody’s mind. Put all of you under a trance or something. Bucky, Sam an’ me been trying to wake you guys up with little success,” Steve answered, swapping Tony hair away from his eyes and giving him a little smile, “but I finally got through to you.”

 

“The others..?” Tony asked, not sure whether he was talking about a mismatched group of people or a mismatched group of superheroes.

 

“Everyone is okay, kind of,” Steve assured him, “Clint had a really bad reaction to the mind control, and had to be sedated, and Thor was looking catatonic just a few seconds ago, but all the others are finally waking up too.”

 

“What happened?” he asked again, not being able to understand or remember all that was going on.

 

“You guys were fighting space people, then Amora came up and cast a spell on all of you. Everybody dropped to the floor immediately, but you were in the sky. Me, Bucky and Sam arrived just in time to not let you hit the ground - Bucky got Amora in a chokehold and she passed out. Clint freaked out and SHIELD had to put him under so he didn’t hurt himself, but the others were ok, they  were fighting the spell with some degree of success. You blacked out, though, and I couldn’t wake you up. I was worried.”

 

Like that, Tony remembered what was bothering him. With trembling hands he reached to touch Steve’s face, so pink and warm and tangent. He was not a ghost at all. His memories might be a mess but he remembered longing, yearning for Steve to be real, for him to be physically there under his hands.

 

“Steve, I love you,” he saw, awe filling his speech, “oh fuck, I love you.”

 

Steve blushed completely, but the smile he gave Tony was blinding. 

 

“Love you, too, Tony,” he said, earnestly, “but I’ll love even more having that repeated when you don’t have a concussion,” he informed. 

 

“I don’t have a concussion, I love you,” he protested. He stopped and considered the throbbing ache and slight dizziness, “well, they are not mutually exclusive,” he amended.

 

“Okay,” Steve agreed, “ I did always dream of hearing my boyfriend tell me I love you for the first time while concussed.”

 

“I’m your boyfriend?” Tony asked in awe. Maybe he was a bit more concussed than he thought. 

 

In lieu of answering, Steve just looked at him with a concerned expression.

 

“Tony,” he sad slowly, “what’s the last thing you remember?”

 

“The mirror room,” Tony answered promptly. And then he stopped and considered.

 

“I think you’re still confusing dream and reality,” Steve sighed, “c’mon, let's get you to medical. I wanna make sure everyone else is okay, too.”

 

“NO NEED LOVERBOY,” Sam shouted from the other side of the field, “also, turn of your mics you too are giving me toothache.”

 

“Oh, well, Sam’s got me covered, it seems,” Steve smiled ruefully, “we’ve been officially dating for three days.”

 

“Wow,” Tony let some awe escape his voice, “can’t believe I landed you.”

 

“Oh god, you said that three days ago, too,” Steve chuckled. He helped Tony to his feet and held his arm tightly to give him support, “c’mon Tones, let’s get that head of yours checked up.”

 

“I think we should kiss instead,” he protested. And the faltered and almost fell down, if it hadn’t been for Steve strong, manly, beautiful arms holding him.

 

“Yeah, sure honey,” Steve answered with a straight face, “we’ll kiss once you’re sitting, what about that?”

 

“Sounds perfect.”

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> unedited, unbeta'd, but idk, I liked it and decided to share. Hope y'all like it.


End file.
